Under celestial dreams, Xianxia and Wuxia worlds unfold
Ye Hua He snorted. So abrupt, fast and sharp, it hurt his nostril. Undoubtedly not a dignified sound for the future Celestial Emperor, but Bai Qian had that effect on him — like a sudden gale tearing through his intricately arranged mental scrolls, like the unruly tendrils of wavy hair at his temples that rebelliously […]
Chapter 42 Bai Qian~ Evening shadows pooled like ink against the ancient stone walls of the Kunlun bedchamber, while candlelight danced across a folding screen of carved sandalwood and Silk of Cloudborne Ascension (云升绸, Yún Shēng Chóu), where silver-winged cranes soared between wisps of painted clouds, ascending toward immortal realms hidden in swirling mountain mist. […]
Bai Qian~ The teahouse bustled with afternoon patrons—perfect for my purposes. After that Jade pool incident where Ye Hua had stood before me in nothing but a semblance of dignity, I needed witnesses. Many witnesses. “Perhaps the Jade Willow Teahouse for wine and tales?” I tapped my lower lip thoughtfully. “The one perched over West […]
Ye Hua~ The water, once cold, now felt lukewarm from the heat of his own mortification—doing nothing to cool him. How could he have believed his Third Uncle Lian Song? Of all people! The same uncle who once tried to convince the great Donghua Dijun that mortal flatulence could power celestial carriages, eliminating the need […]
Bai Qian The rules of our arrangement were clear as spring water: favor for favor, ledgers balanced. Since I had chosen our picnic, it was only fair that Ye Hua select our next encounter. My fox imagination conjured endless possibilities for a Celestial Crown Prince’s idea of “date”: perhaps a stiff-backed hour in some ancient […]
Chapter 37 Bai Qian~ It wasn’t a light I followed out of the darkness. It was my daughter, Ying’er. When I opened my eyes in Qingqiu, I did not rise from my bed. I was not needed there. No — an unseen tether, a soundless voice pulled me elsewhere, to a place where the past […]
Chapter 31 Yi Nuo~ When Ruilin returns, the interval is ten days—a mere ten days, not ten weeks, not ten months or ten years. However, seeing him run through the courtyard, his hair flying behind him, a crooked smile on his face, sends a shiver down my spine, blurring time into a continuous ache. Our […]
Chapter 30 Since getting married, Ruilin and I haven’t spent a day apart. We had eaten every meal together, shared the same bath water, slept with our wrists knotted beneath the same pillow. Now, after a glorious year and a half, the honeymoon was ending in a manner neither of us could have prepared for. […]
Chapter 29 Bai Qian~ It’s been 16 months, 20 days, and 6 hours—over a year—since she began her mortal trial. The passage of time has become a cruel and formidable adversary in the ongoing search for Ying’er. Each month, we gather quietly in the ethereal realm of Nine Heavens for Ye Hua’s sake, understanding he […]
Chapter 24 Phoenix Emperor Feng Yi~ “Emperor, Gugu is here.” At first, the Phoenix Emperor appeared as if he hadn’t heard, sitting motionless on the dais, one hand resting on the carved wood of his throne’s arm and in his other a book with his previous chess games with Yi Nuo who was impossible to […]
Chapter 23 Yi Nuo~ When Lue Lue returned with the tonic, I bolted through the open doors with such force that I knocked her against the doorframe. The sharp sound of the tonic bowl shattering echoed in the air behind me. A pang of worry shot through me, fearing I had hurt her, but my […]
Chapter 22 Bai Qian At my age, few can treat me like a child, but Zhe Yan always will—to him, I’ll always be Xiao Wu or little girl. “I’m glad you’re lying down, Xiao Wu. You need to rest. Yingpei told me you haven’t slept in days and have developed a fever,” Zhe Yan said, […]
Chapter 18 Bai Qian~ There are fates far worse than finding oneself amid a lively celebration at a breathtaking mountain-top school, surrounded by cherished loved ones and with an abundance of wine flowing endlessly. For example, I might be relentlessly stalked by an unstoppable, tireless, formidable beast. I could be engulfed in flames, burning until […]
Chapter 16 Yi Nuo~ I’ve lost my purpose? This matter preyed on my mind lately, creeping into my thoughts unbidden no matter how often I pushed it away. If Mother Abbess were here by my side, she’d tell me to share my gifts of which she thought I had many with everyone I meet, but […]
Chapter 15 Ye Hua~ “Brother-in-law, are you still celibate?” I cringed beneath my composure. She brought up something she shouldn’t have, and the question landed like an accusation, casually yet pointed in its delivery. Had the servants overheard her, the whispers would have made it across all eight realms by noon. The silence from my […]
